Africa Waits for the Arrival of Vaccines While the Deceased for Mpox Rises to 622
Family patients of Mpox, Aug 2024 Photo: @Advocaat_Sent
August 27, 2024 Hour: 4:41 pm
More than 22,800 cases and at least 622 deaths from pox have been registered since last January in thirteen countries of Africa, confirmed on Tuesday the public health agency of the African Union (AU), waiting for the continent to receive vaccines against this disease formerly known as mpox.
“You can see the increase (…) from last week (…) This shows us that the outbreak is still on the way,” said Jean Kaseya, Director General of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at a virtual press conference.
According to the latest data of the agency, 22,863 infections have been documented so far (including 3,641 confirmed and 19,222 suspected) in Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon, Liberia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
However, “(epidemiological) surveillance in Africa remains weak. We know that in many areas we have sub-reporting of cases,” warned Kaseya, who said the institution will send 72 epidemiologists to affected areas to improve infection registration.
On the arrival of vaccines to the continent, the director of CDC Africa said they expect the first doses to land in early September in the DRC, where the outbreak is at its source.
The CDC of Africa declared on 13 May the mpox as a “continental security public health emergency”.
A day later, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health alert for mpox, an infectious disease that can cause swelling of the lymph nodes and painful or itchy rashes, including pimples or blisters.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: EFE
